WARRIORS

by Karen Michelle Nutt

  As he cleaned up and made himself presentable, he turned his head and caught sight of two small pinpricks on his neck. He ran his fingers over the marks. A flash of his angel with fangs crossed his mind. “She fed on my blood.” His imagination could not produce two distinct pinpricks.

  He must return to the forest. He must learn what happened to him there. He tried to convince himself this was the case, but in truth he wanted to find Glamis and prove she wasn’t a fantasy brought on by lack of food and water. He was a knight, a warrior. He was not a man prone to delusions.

  He waited until all were sleeping before he ventured out. He thought to bring a torch, but his vision wasn’t hampered with the moon high in the sky.

  Loucetios was a bit skittish and he had to soothe the horse before mounting him for his midnight adventure.

  He entered the forest in hopes of finding Glamis, but if not her, the keep where he made love to her before a roaring fire.

  When Loucetios would go no further, he dismounted. “Be safe, my friend. I hope to see you in the morning.”

  Loucetios whinnied in protest, but Liam would not be dissuaded. He hit Loucetios’ rump and set him galloping away. He continued down the path on foot, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

  The wind picked up in a swirl of dirt and leaves. The whispers of warning tickled his ears, but he refused to go back. “Glamis, where are you?”

  “Here, Sir Knight.”

  He whirled around with his sword drawn. How had she come upon him so quickly with nary a sound? “What are you?”

  “I believe you know, Sir Knight, or at least suspect.” She glanced at his drawn sword. “Have you come to slay me then? Bring back my head as a prize?”

  His brows furrowed. She was beautiful with her mahogany locks gleaming like dark wine. Her eyes the color of blue, not to be matched, waited for him to answer. She’d been flirting with him playfully, harmlessly, but he knew she wasn’t a lass to betray with lies and expect to live to tell the tale. He’d seen enough battles to know when an enemy would give up or if he would fight to the death. Glamis would not be taken willingly. In truth, he did not want to harm her. She was the first woman he’d taken to his bed. She showed him the wonders of making love and by God, he wanted to show her he was an apt student. How could he slay the woman he could fall in love with? As much as he wanted her, he was not a fool. He kept his sword ready. “The villagers have named you a fiend. They say you have killed, draining your victims of their blood.”

  She sighed as she continued to study him with eyes as sharp and adept as his. “Do you wish me to tell you the truth, Sir Knight?”

  He nodded. “Aye, you owe me the truth.”

  “So be it. What the villagers claim is true.” Her response was delivered in a cool, distant tone.

  She murdered men and didn’t blink an eye or show remorse for her deeds. He’d been fooled by her feminine façade that hid her killer instincts. She deserved to die, but something in her eyes, in the way she looked at him gave him pause. For a fleeting second, he caught a glimpse of her heart, unprotected and exposed for him to see the loneliness, the longing for more than what life offered thus far. He knew all about yearning for a different life. “Why?”

  Sucking in a shallow breath, she tore her gaze away. It was the first time she let her defenses down. “I must take nourishment as you must. I require blood.” Her gaze found his once more with a plea for him to understand. “I cannot survive otherwise.”

  “You are a vampire.”

  “As many have called me, a human name born out of fear. The formal name is Dearg-due.” Her chin lifted and her shoulders pulled back. Proud she was of her lineage.

  His world felt a little off centered and he took a moment to digest what she had revealed to him. He had a hunch her other victims were not given the same courtesy as she gave him, which only proved to bewilder him. “Why did you not kill me?”

  She tilted her head to the side as her gaze slid over him in appreciation. “You are different. You were not tainted.”

  He chuckled without mirth, her words stinging his pride. “My purity saved me. The church will be pleased to know virtue is still held in high esteem, even to a Dearg-due.”

  “You misunderstand, human.” He supposed she had the right to snub his human status. His tone surely spoke of what he thought of her.

  His eyes narrowed. “Explain then. Please,” he added. He did not want to offend her again.

  “You have courage. You did not run when fear whispered in your ear to flee.”

  “A knight never runs away.”

  She nodded. “You did not fight me when I fed.” She touched her neck lightly as if to remind him of her bestowed kiss.

  “I wish it were not so, but stopping you was not an option. I knew what you were doing and I wanted you anyway.” Since they were baring their souls, he would not hold back either.

  She nodded once more. “And finally, your blood calls to me, Sir Knight. I could not kill what I craved. It would be foolish on my part.”

  “So it is the blood you want.” Bitterness laced his words at being used to sustain her life and nothing more. He gave himself to her. She was a fiend who killed to survive and he was a knight sworn to follow all rules sanctioned by his rank. He sinned and he did so willingly. He would not deny the fact, but he wanted to know it was for a good reason.

  She remained silent for a heartbeat of time. Her brows furrowed over the bridge of her nose, then smoothed again as an array of emotions washed over her. “Why did you come back?”

  His arm lowered and he sheathed his sword before facing her with the truth. “I could not forget you. I suppose I crave your touch as much as you crave my blood. Tell me I am not a fool.”

  With a blink of an eye, she was in his embrace. Her eyes glowed red like a predator on the hunt, but it didn’t frighten him. To prove it, he pulled her closer. His hands slid down her lithe body, wanting to take her there where they stood. His mouth sought hers with a kiss that singed through his veins.

  His hands made short work of their clothing. On the ground, she straddled him as he leaned against the tree trunk for support. She guided him inside her and groaned in satisfaction. His hands held onto her hips as they made love. Her gaze never left his. He knew what she wanted, what she craved, but she held back. He tilted his head to the side to make it easier for her, but her palms touched his cheeks, forcing him to meet her eyes again.

  “I shall not take without permission, Sir Knight.”

  “Liam.”

  Her lovely arched brows furrowed.

  “My name is Liam and I give you permission.” He exposed his throat once more.

  Her lips caressed his flesh with a sweet kiss, her tongue licking over his flesh. When her fangs finally bit into him, pain and pleasure mixed as she drank and made love to him. Pain. Pleasure. Rapture.

  Much later, she lay in his arms, her flesh warmer since she fed from him.

  Her hand smoothed over his face and worry shadowed her eyes. “You look pale. I will hunt for you. You must take nourishment.” She made to move, but he held onto her.

  “Later, my love. Right now, let me hold you.”

  Later never came. He made love to her again, this time slow and meaningful. “You are mine, Glamis.”

  “As you belong to me, Liam. I give myself to you completely.”

  “As do I.” He lowered his mouth to hers, sealing their pledge with a kiss.

  Chapter Seven

  Liam sat down at his usual table in the back of the tavern where he could see the exits and his back faced no one but the wall. His hand gripped the tankard as he nursed the warm ale. After his visits with Glamis, exhaustion made him yearn for a soft bed to lie down upon. He would finish his drink then head upstairs. His fingers rubbed his eyelids and he leaned back against his chair. When he opened his eyes again, the old man, who first told him of the fiend in the forest, stood at the edge of the table, holding a plate. He placed it before him. The slab of meat was
barely cooked, all bloody and pink. His stomach lurched and he pushed the plate away.

  “What is this, old man?”

  The man didn’t ask permission to be seated, but invited himself as he pulled out a chair and plopped down in it.

  “See here.” Liam sat up straighter. Insulted that the man thought it was all right to join him.

  “I’m a friend,” the old man whispered.

  He harrumphed at the old man’s gall. “You sent me off to the forest to meet your fiend and we both know what you expected to come of that visit. Forgive me if I fail to see how we are friends.”

  The old man refused to be put off. “You are bedding the Dearg-due, are you not?”

  His brows drew together. “I know not what you speak of.” The man reached across the table and lifted Liam’s hair away from his neck. Liam jerked away. “Do not touch me again, old man, or else you may lose a hand.”

  The old man would not be put off. “The marks on your neck are from the Dearg-due, vampir, vampire…fiend. The being goes by many names.”

  He licked his lips. Maybe he should hear the man out and find out where this conversation would lead. “Say your peace then and be gone.”

  “Eat and I will talk.” He pushed the plate toward him again. “The meat will keep you strong for her.”

  To pacify the old man, he cut a small piece of the meat away and stabbed it with his dagger. His palate rebelled at first, but as he took another bite and another, he grew accustomed to the taste. “I believe you were going to talk.”

  The man sat forward, resting his arms on the table as he folded his hands. “The Dearg-due has plagued our village for some time. We sacrifice one man every six months to keep her bloodlust at bay. It is our curse for betraying her. We tried to kill her kind, but we failed in eliminating her.”

  He paused in taking another bite. “There were more like her then?”

  The old man nodded. “She had a mate once and she lived with him within the Sidhe Comhairle Forest. You know the wooded place as the forbidden forest. Perhaps you’ve seen the keep across the loch?”

  He did not deny or confirm he had. “Are you telling me you killed her mate?” He pointed the dagger at the old man, not sure if he wanted to murder the man for hurting Glamis or kiss him for leaving her available to love again.

  “Nay, I did not kill her husband. Our ancestors were the superstitious lot. The Dearg-due is a being not unlike the Sidhe. They have long lives.”

  “Hmm.” Liam lifted a brow. “Get to the heart of your tale. I grow weary.”

  The old man cleared his throat. “Our ancestors believed the Dearg-due was too different and feared the beautiful couple that never aged. They wanted to rid the village of such creatures.”

  “If the Dearg-due preyed upon the village, I may understand their need.”

  The old man shook his head. “You do not understand. A Dearg-due takes a mate for life and they feed off of each other to survive. They did not seek human blood. They lived in peace. They only ventured into the village for supplies and for company. It was jealousy of their strength and beauty that led to treachery. One night, the men convinced the male Dearg-due to stay in town and share stories with them, but instead the men trapped him. They left him staked in the courtyard to face the sun. By the time the female realized the betrayal, it was too late to save him.”

  Liam swallowed hard. He knew Glamis slept during the day. The sun would harm her, she had told him, but he thought not to ask her how. “What became of her mate when the sun rose?”

  “He burned, becoming nothing but ash. It is said his screams were unbearable.” He looked away as if ashamed by what his ancestors had done.

  Liam finished his meal and pushed his plate away. “Why tell me this horror story? You must have a reason for it. Get to the point, old man, before I lose my patience.”

  “You are the only one to survive her bite. We wish to keep you here, to keep the Dearg-due happy.”

  “So you do not have to sacrifice one of your own, is that it?” He didn’t hide his sarcasm or his disgust at what these people did. He had no doubt they lured travelers to their deaths when it suited them.

  The old man swallowed hard and nodded.

  “If I stay and make this sacrifice, what is in it for me?”

  “We would supply all you need. Whatever you want will be yours.”

  He felt strong after devouring his meal. The old man had been right. He needed the proper nourishment if he was to remain Glamis’ lover. He would never leave her, but the villagers did not need to know the truth. He pushed his tankard toward the old man. “I shall have more ale. I believe you are buying.”

  Chapter Eight

  Every night Liam took his leave of the human world and entered Glamis’. Loucetios would take him to the edge of the forest and his mount would wait for his return upon the morning light. He would then ride back to the Tavern Inn and sleep the day away.

  The villagers looked upon him with reverence, both grateful and a little fearful, too. He was human, but he had the power to control the Dearg-due’s appetite. In their eyes, he’d become as untouchable as the creature they feared.

  Glamis snuggled close to him this night in her bedchamber. Furs covered them and a fire burned in the fireplace. He could hear the rain softly falling, the sound a soothing comfort. Glamis’ contentment brought him joy, but he sensed a sort of restlessness in her.

  “I wish you did not have to go.” She kissed the side of his mouth. The sun would rise soon and he would leave her side as he did each day.

  “I could stay.” He returned the caress, nuzzling the tender flesh between her neck and collarbone. She did not feed off of him every night. She took her nourishment from animals also, but he had a hunch that was for his benefit. She knew when he needed to rest, giving his body time to replenish the blood she’d taken.

  After the first week, he realized the taking of his blood wasn’t just for feeding. It was for pleasure as well, a bonding of some sort. When she fed, she could hear his thoughts clearly, not just fragments or hunches, but as if she touched his soul in some way. He wondered often what it would be like to taste her blood, to be completely bonded with her. “I wish I were like you,” he told her and meant it.

  She pulled away, her eyes glowing red before dimming again to the bright blue. He tried to draw her close again, but she refused to come to him.

  He sat up, his fingers caressing her arm, sensing her pulling away from him not just physically but mentally as well. “Did I say something to upset you?”

  “If you were what I am, you would never walk in the day. Even a cloud-filled sky will not protect my kind for long. You would have to give up all that you are.”

  His hand stilled as he digested what she revealed, but ended up dismissing her warnings. “I do not see the sun now, my love.” His lips twitched, making her sigh with a shake of her head.

  “You know what I mean. I do not need to present all the details to you. You know what I am and what I do to survive.”

  “It is possible then. You can change me?”

  Her gaze wavered over him in exasperation. “It’s a myth, a story told to me when I was a mere child.”

  It was difficult to believe she’d been a child, with her tales of centuries and what she’d witness through the passage of time. “I have no way of knowing if it is true.” She leaned forward, resting her forehead against his. “I will not take the chance that I am wrong.”

  His lips pursed, troubled by his thoughts of late. He couldn’t abide the thought of another man holding her or kissing the tender areas that made her purr for more. Worse, he didn’t want another man knowing her secrets or being able to make her laugh when he could not do so anymore. For once in his life, he felt helpless. He wanted to grow old with her. Love her as much as he did now when her hair turned gray, but a Dearg-due didn’t age like a human. He would be dead and buried and she would live on for centuries more. “One day I will grow old. What then? Will you find a
nother lover for your bed?”

  “No.” He met her gaze. Her hands gripped him as if she believed he would leave her this instance. “Never. Once you draw your last breath, I will walk into the sun to join you on the other side.” She glanced away then, her lovely mahogany brows puckering. “If our kind can be with yours on the other side, I will find you.”

  “What of your first husband?” He had wondered about him. She’d been mated to the man for hundreds of years. Surely she felt something for the man. Yet, she pledged eternity to him.

  “Uriel was chosen for me and I did care for him, but our bond was a necessity, not one born of love.”

  “Love?” His lips curved. “Do you love me, Glamis? A mere human?”

  She rolled her eyes. “You know that I do.”

  “Say it,” he demanded.

  She turned toward him so she could straddle his thighs. Her gaze swept over his features before she leaned forward and kissed him. “I love you.” He took her mouth hungrily. Soft and smooth her skin felt beneath his caress. Her earthy sweet scent, appealed to him, clean and fresh as if she bathed daily in the loch.

  She slid down his body so her head rested just beneath his chin. He cradled her close, his thoughts returning to plague him. She never fell ill. She would appear as young as she did now for centuries more. He didn’t doubt her pledge to be with him always, but she never lived with a human. She never witnessed how a human shriveled with age. Death would not have to greet him before she tired of their union.

  “You are still sad,” she said “I feel it.” The palm of her hand smoothed over his chest. He kissed the top of her head. She shifted her body to meet his gaze. “Liam, what more troubles you?”

  “I have realized we will only have a moment in time together. It is not enough. It will never be enough.”

  Her hands cupped his face. “We’ll make the most of the time we have, my love.”

  Chapter Nine